Chapter 159: Fan Jin Passes the Imperial Examination

Lin Ze stood on the stage as the accompaniment began to play.

Holding the microphone in his hand, Lin Ze began to deliver a rap song.

With his precise articulation, every single word of the song was clearly transmitted into everyone's ears.

"Coarse hemp clothes on my body covering a tightened waistband."

"Bending over the desk, unaware that the sun has already climbed to the treetop."

"The wind leaking into the empty house carried the neighbors' mocking laughter."

"Even the only old hen had a grass tag tied to it."

"Mother looked at me without saying a word, but could not hide the disappointment in her eyes."

"I turned my face away and continued to recite my books; I also wanted my family to have a full meal."

Listening to Lin Ze's song, the audience initially thought it might be an inspirational piece.

Yet, something felt off in Lin Ze's flippant singing style.

For some inexplicable reason, a few people felt a sudden, grating harshness.

"The candle extinguished, and I realized unaware that night had fallen once again."

"The entire world enveloped us like a pyramid."

"Some stood high above, while I was merely fuel for the machine."

Everyone slowly opened their mouths in shock.

Are you really daring to sing about this?

Achieving fame on the imperial examination list—what kind of achievement are you singing about now?

"I am Fan Jin who passed the imperial examination; see how much joy is in my expression."

"I am Fan Jin who has gone somewhat mad; how much of a turning point is there in my life?"

Lin Ze's voice grew increasingly bizarre. Watching him perform on stage, the audience could see a touch of madness in his eyes, flickering simultaneously with excitement.

In this world, the characters in books were much like those in Lin Ze's original world, including a Fan Jin who passed the imperial examination.

Naturally, everyone knew this story and knew that Fan Jin had passed the exam and become a high-ranking official.

"I am already a juren scholar; those impoverished scholars are merely a group of ants."

"I have undone my waistband and changed into fine silks and satins."

"Tied tightly around my neck, just in case I carelessly incur a disaster of the tongue."

[Holy shit... Lin Ze...]

[Brother, please stop singing! Don't court death!]

[Bless me, Brother Lin, grant my wish to pass the postgraduate entrance exam this time...]

[Seeing the comment above, I am momentarily at a loss for words...]

***

"I am neither forgetting my roots nor accepting my fate with resignation."

"Everyone is merely a caged beast that has given up the struggle."

"My essays are like those of a clown, provoking waves of applause."

"Even the top scholar on the imperial roll is no better than the head courtesan of a brothel."

Everyone stood up, silently watching Lin Ze on the stage through their televisions.

Lin Ze's boldness was growing by the day, and it was hard to tell what kind of reviews this song would receive once released.

For those who understood its meaning, only one word could describe the feeling in their hearts: shock.

After this song was performed, all other songs faded from memory.

Now, only the song sung by Lin Ze remained in their minds.

Having finished his performance, Lin Ze silently bowed to the audience.

It was as if this truly confirmed the prophetic chart previously laid out by Jiang Dasheng.

The online and live audience voting for this episode occurred simultaneously.

In this ranking, Lin Ze's vote count began to soar frantically.

Meanwhile, ranking second was Panda, whose traditional-style song carried the enduring charm of Chinese history.

As the results were announced one by one, the only differences lay between the fourth and seventh places.

Next up was the second round of seeding matches.

Some participants adopted a Tian Ji horse-racing strategy, using their best songs to counter others' mid-tier tracks.

The director had worried for a moment backstage, but upon receiving no complaints or calls, he finally relaxed.

"Come on, let's proceed directly to the second round of seeding matches," the director instructed.

With both seeding matches being broadcast live tonight, group challenge matches and the finals would commence tomorrow, aiming to wrap up the competition in two days.

Upon returning backstage, the others gave Lin Ze thumbs-up gestures, though they still dared not say much.

No one seemed dissatisfied with the rankings, as the phrase "well-deserved" applied perfectly.

Soon, it was time for everyone to prepare for the second match.

The contestants hurriedly and quietly consulted with their partners about what works to bring out next.

Before long, another golden egg was carried in.

Everyone looked at Lin Ze, asking him to make the first pick.

Lin Ze casually drew one from the pile and smashed it open with a small hammer right in front of everyone.

"Two!"

This time, Lin Ze actually drew the second starting position.

***

The golden eggs in everyone's hands suddenly felt a bit scorching hot.

They should not have let Lin Ze pick first; holding the golden egg, everyone worried they might have drawn the first or third position.

Out of a total of six eggs, two unlucky souls had to be picked.

[Everyone, the previous song's impact was so explosive, did he just use his best material?]

[It's just like Tian Ji horse racing—avoiding the sharpest edge while striking into the wind. As long as you make the right choice, even a slightly weaker competitor has a chance to pull off an upset.]

[No, that might be true for others, but not for Lin Ze. You can always trust Lin Ze.]

With excited hearts and trembling hands, the contestants smashed open their golden eggs.

Following a few shattering sounds, two people revealed bitter expressions.

Li Xiyan and Rong Zhengyu.

Rong Zhengyu's dream of a comeback was on the verge of shattering.

The songs he wrote himself were not bad, but unfortunately, a certain Lin Ze completely overshadowed his brilliance.

Performing right after Lin Ze, he had once again drawn one of the worst positions.

It seemed this time would indeed unfold just as the prediction suggested: staying stuck in the bottom four positions.

"Xiao Lin, I'm begging you as an elder brother, please don't pull out another stage-exploding song this time. Do you have something a bit quieter? Just cut your big brother some slack," Rong Zhengyu said with a bitter face.

"Hmm... I actually do have one," Lin Ze rubbed his chin.

Hearing this, Li Xiyan hurriedly selected a song capable of igniting the audience's emotions on her end.

Old Shi had long given up on surpassing Lin Ze; he only hoped not to fall too far behind.

Lin Ze's momentum of rise was now unstoppable.

Li Xiyan psyched herself up.

Fortunately, this seeding match consisted of two consecutive rounds, keeping the audience's enthusiasm high.

For the first time since her debut, Li Xiyan wore a short skirt on stage and put on a headset microphone. Unexpectedly, she had chosen a song featuring singing and dancing.

Liang Xiang widened her eyes. "This... wow, I feel my status is under threat."

[Holy shit? Li Xiyan! Those legs...]

[Sister, slay me! Oh my god! This is too gorgeous!]

[What kind of body proportion is this? These are legs Wu Qian could envy for a lifetime! No wonder that pervert Wu Qian was all over Li Xiyan.]

"This song, 'We Are Married!', is dedicated to everyone!"